Official synopsis: Washed ashore in Scotland on a blood-stained rowing boat, a young woman (Bella Dayne as Megan) suffering from severe memory loss appears to be the sole survivor of a doomed trans-Atlantic World Record attempt. With all of her crew mates missing, presumed dead, she must try and piece together her fractured memories in order to prove her innocence.
Mutiny! Murder! Mystery! Director/Cowriter/Editor Matthew Losasso’s U.K. feature Row combines these elements with a survival thriller to solid effect. The incidents on the boat are shown in flashbacks and feature the highly unreliable memories of main character Megan — memories that may or may not also contain complete fabrications. Duplicity and danger abound throughout the film, the latter not always coming from the crew, which besides Megan, consists of rich, hotheaded leader Daniel (Akshay Khanna), optimist until she can no longer be Lexi (Sophie Skelton), and mysterious Mike (Nick Skaugen, who cowrote the screenplay with Losasso), who was a last-second replacement for Adam (Mark Strepan), who broke his leg just before the journey and who has some romantic history that arouses suspicion among crew members.
It’s difficult to root for any of the crew members — viewers will certainly be waiting for some in particular to get theirs — but it is easy to admire the performances of the actors. Everyone goes all in, which includes bouts of seabound insanity that feel realistic and avoid going over the top.
Cinematographer Zoran Velijkovic does fantastic work, and the underwater and sea scenes are both highly impressive. Losasso does fine work at the helm, keeping things suspenseful and enigmatic throughout.
Row, from Kaleidoscope Entertainment, will be in UK Cinemas from 5th September and will be available on DVD & digital platforms from September 29th, 2025.
